Multi-stage evacuating device



Oct. 3, 1967 I HALSEY 3,344,523

MULTI-STAGE EVACUATING DEVICE Filed Jan. 18, 1965 INVENTOR DA V/S HALSEY ORNEY Z5 22b 255 BYWI v I United States Patent 3,344,523 MULTI-STAGEEVACUATHNG DEVICE Davis Halsey, 43 Spring St., Lebanon, N.H. 03766 FiledJan. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 426,008 5 Claims. (Cl. 32-33) ABSTRACT OF THEDllSCLGSURE A one-piece multi-stage evacuating device having a pair ofspaced portions connected by a frangible intermediate portion. Inattached condition one end of the device is adapted to be connected to asuction generating device while the other end has a' relatively smallliquidadmitting inlet opening. When the frangible connection is brokenthe remaining suction-connected portion develops a relatively largeopening for entry of solid particulate matter.

The above abstract of disclosure is set forth for identificationpurposes only and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of theappended claims.

The present invention relates to multi-stage evacuating devices ingeneral and more particularly to disposable evacuating devices of thekind to be used in laboratories, operating rooms and similarinstitutions for withdrawing liquid and particulate matter, for example,to withdraw such matter from the mouth of a patient undergoing dentaltreatment.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-stage deviceone stage of which is capable of evacuating liquid and the other stageof which is capable of evacuating particulate matter.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an expendableevacuating device.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device of theabove type which is expendable in a number of stages.

A concomitant object of the invention is the provision of a devicehaving the above characteristics which is capable of being placed in themouth of a patient undergoing dental treatment which cannot damage thetissue of the mouth, which is non-toxic, and which will not irritate thepatient.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device having theabove characteristics which can be cheaply and easily manufactured usingreadily available materials, and which may, if desired, be thrown awayafter being used once, thus obviating entirely the necessity forsterilizing.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide adevice of the above characteristics which is not likely to becomeclogged.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a deviceof the above type which can be easily and quickly connected withconventional suction generating apparatus.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device of theabove type which can be broken up without resorting to tools.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which is soconstructed that it can be broken into sections by exertion of a smallforce.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a salivaevacuating or extracting device having the aforesaid characteristicswhich is so constructed that it can operate effectively in two stageswithout either stage injuring the tissues of the mouth.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a devicehaving the above characteristics which is useful not only in dentistrybut for other applications as well.

With the above object in view, one feature of the present inventionresides in the provision of a multistage evacuating device which isparticularly suitable for withdrawing liquid and particulate matter fromthe mouth of a dental patient. In its preferred form, the devicecomprises an elongated, substantially tubular, evacuating memberincluding a first end portion arranged to be connected to a suctiongenerating apparatus, and a cup-shaped second end portion spaced fromthe first end portion by an intermediate portion which readilydetachably connects the two end portions with each other. The second endportion is provided with at least one relatively small inlet in the formof a slot or the like for drawing liquid matter when the end portionsare connected to each other, while the first end portion develops arelatively large inlet for admitting solid particulate matter when thesecond end portion is detached therefrom.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The exactconstruction and configuration of the improved evacuating device,however, together with additional features and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following detailed description of somespecific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a two-stage evacuating device whichembodies the present invention, with the evacuating device mounted on asuction tube;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged axial sectional view taken along the line 2-2 ofFIG. 1 and showing both stages connected and in position on the end of asuction tube which latter is shown in part only;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged axial sectional view of one stage of theevacuating device shown in FIG. 1, after the other stage has beendetached therefrom;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged axial sectional view of the weakened wall portionof a modified evacuating device;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged axial sectional view of a portion of a modifiedevacuating device; and

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the evacuating device illustratedin FIG. 2.

Referring now in greater detail to the illustrated embodiments, andfirst to FIG. 1, there is shown the intake tube 10 and connecting hose13 of a suction generating device of known design. Tube It may be curvedas at 12. into hook form for its intended application over the lowertooth ridge of a dental patients mouth. Applied over the end portion oftube 10, and covering the same substantially to the curved portion 12thereof is the evacuating device 20 of the present invention. In itspreferred form the evacuating device comprises a one-piece elongatedhollow tubular body having a cup-shaped intake portion 21, and a tubularoutlet portion 22. The intake portion 21 is provided with openings 24(see FIG. 6) through which saliva or other liquids may be drawn into thetubular body. Between the intake portion 21 and the outlet portion 22 islocated a weakened annular wall portion 23 which permits the portion 21to be readily detached from portion 22, when desired. The device ispreferably constructed of elastomeric material such as, for example,rubber or synthetic plastic. A preferred synthetic plastic material ispolyethylene having a high wax content and a durometer of 16-20. It hasbeen found that such plastic material may be readily molded to thedesired shape, may be cheaply mass produced, is non-toxic and may beformed with a surface which is both smooth and sufiiciently soft to becomfortably received in the mouth of a patient. These characteristicsprevent injury to the tissues of the mouth even after one portion hasbeen detached and the tissue is exposed to a previously covered part ofthe remaining portion.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the evacuating device may be formed with atape-ring axial bore 25. The taper of the internal surface 26surrounding the bore facilitates the application of the device onto thesuction tube 10. The taper further permits the device to be used withsuction tubes of varying diameter, since a slightly different suctiontube diameter will merely cause the engagement with the device 20 tooccur at a different location along the length thereof. The hollowmembers, i.e., the portions 21 and 22 of the evacuating device 20, arereadily detachably connected to each other in a plane A, i.e., in aplane in which the portions are separable from one another.

It is an important feature of the present invention that the evacuatingdevice 20 is formed of two or more portions which are readily detachablyconnected. As seen in FIG. 2, the device 20 may be formed with aweakened annular wall portion such as results from the internal annulargroove 23, located in the plane A. It is obvious, however, that portions21 and 22 may be connected in another manner for readily detachably yetpreferably sealingly connecting such portions. For example, and asillustrated in FIG. 4, the tubular body of a modified evacuating device20a may be provided with a circumferential groove 23a intermediate theportions 21 and 22. Alternatively, the portions 21 and 22 may beconnected by means of an annular wall portion of frangible material (notshown), or, the entire portion 21 may be formed of frangible material sothat it may be entirely shattered and in that manner detached fromportion 22. It is important only that a relatively large opening such asinlet opening 25a be developed in portion 22 when it is desired towithdraw particulate matter.

In the modified embodiment of my device, illustrated in FIG. 5, thetubular body of the evacuating device 20b is formed of two separateportions 21b and 22b which may be connected frictionally or in anysimilar manner such as, e.g., by bonding, by means of a threadedconnection, which will permit the portions to be readily detached fromone another, as at shoulder 23b, to expose, at the uncovered end ofportion 22b, the relatively large inlet opening 25b.

In its preferred embodiment, however, the evacuating device is molded inone piece, as illustrated in FIG. 2. A particular advantage is derivedwhen the device 20 is molded with a grooved portion such as groove 23 or23a. As a result of molding, a stress concentration is attained in thegrooved wall portion as a result of which the force required to beapplied to the weakened wall portion to detach the portions 21 and 22from each other is actually reduced, not merely proportionally with thedecrease in remaining wall thickness, but as a multiple of suchdecrease.

, Another important features of the present invention resides in suchdetails of construction of the device 20, 2011 or 20b which permit thesaliva to be evacuated while preventing the mouth tissues to be drawninto the suction openings 24. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 6, it is to benoted that the evacuating device 20 is formed in its portion 21, with aplurality of circumferentially spaced, elongated axially directed, slotshaped, inlet openings 24 surrounding an end wall 27. The illustratedarrangement insures that not all of the openings 24 will be covered bymouth tissue at any one time thus preventing discomfort to the patientand damage to the tissue. Such narrow, elongated, openings 24 aid evenfurther to resist the tendency of tissue being drawn in as a result ofthe suction. In the event that in the intended use of the evacuatingdevice there should be any tendency toward tissue being drawn throughsome of the slots 24, the suction will never become so strong as tocause any discomfort to the patient since, as a result both of thecircumferential spacing as well as the elongated shape of the slots 24,at

least part of the opening of at least one of the slots will be at alltimes positioned sufficiently away from the collected saliva and fromthe tissues of the mouth, to admit air and to thus control suction whichcan develop in the bore 25. While slot-shaped openings 24 are preferred,inlet openings having other configurations, as, for example, smallcircular apertures, may be provided on the portion 21 instead.Alternatively, the entire portion 21 or a part thereof may be formed ofliquid permeable material (not shown), in a manner to permit liquid tobe drawn into the evacuating device 20 while still at all timesproviding at least some access for air so as to .reduce suction and thusprevent tissue injury.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6, the device 20 is preferably providedwith three equally spaced inlet slots 24 positioned circumferentiallyabout the end wall 27 and extending axially through the tapering tubularwall and into the interior of portion 21 so as to communicate with bore25.

The device constructed in accordance with my invention may be cheaplymass-produced, pre-sterilized, packaged in sterilized condition so as tobe readily available when desired, and thrown away after one use. It isan important feature of the present invention, therefore, that thedevice 20 is disposable, and preferably disposable in two stages, thusobviating the need for sterilization not only of the saliva extractionstage, i.e., portion 21 but also of the particle extraction stage, i.e.,the portion 22. In operation the device 20 shown in FIGS. 1-3 and 6 maybe manipulated as follows:

With the portion 22 applied to the end of a suitable suction tube 10,the tubular body of device 20 is positioned in the mouth so as to extendinwardly along the floor of the mouth. Suction created in tube 10 by itsconnection to hose 13, will be transmitted to the inlets 24 in tubularmember 20. This will draw saliva from the mouth through the inlets 24and into the bore 25 of the device 20. While the inlets 24 admit salivathey are, for the reason stated above, too small to admit the largerparticulate matter which settles in the mouth as a result of drilling,chi ping, and other operations performed on the teeth. It will be seenthat I provide a saliva evacuator which is not only disposable, so thatthe need for sterilization is obviated, but is disposable in two stages.Thus, after the saliva evacuating operation is completed, and if it isdesired to evacuate the larger particulate matter then remaining in themouth of the patient, the portion 21 may be readily detached by merelysqueezing the end portion 21, near the weakened annular portion 23,between the thumb and the forefinger or by twisting or bending theportion 21 relative to the portion 22 so as to fracture the tubular bodyof device 20 in the plane A, as seen in FIG. 2. The detached portion 21may then be thrown away leaving exposed the relatively large opening 25aof the portion 22, as seen in FIG. 3, while portion 22 remains connectedwith the end of suction tube 10. The opening 25a may then be moved alongthe interior of the mouth to evacuate therefrom all larger particulatematter which could not pass through the relatively narrow slots 24.After completion of the operation of evacuating the larger particulatematter the portion 22 may be detached from the tube 10 and alsodiscarded. No portion of the tube 10 need, therefore, come in contactwith the patients mouth so that there is no need to sterilize any partof the saliva evacuation equipment.

The wall surrounding opening 25a, as seen in FIG. 3, being of deformablematerial will not cause injury to the tissue when said wall is passedover the interior of the mouth after portion 21 has been detached. Inaddition, such deformable characteristics assure a tight seal with thetube 10 to prevent entry of false air.

It will be readily apparent that an evacuating device constructed inaccordance with the present invention may be advantageously used notonly in the practice of dentistry but wherever it is desired to evacuatea liquid in one stage, and particulate matter in another stage,particularly where, as for example in the course of certain othermedical or laboratory procedures, a sterilized evacuating device isrequired. The pre-sterilized sectionally disposable device of thepresent invention also permits the user to detach the end portion 21merely by grasping that end portion and squeezing and/ or twisting thesame until the end portions 21 and 22 separate from each other, allwithout touching and, thus, without contaminating, the remaining endportion 22 which may then safely be used to evacuate particulate matter.It will also be readily apparent that the device may comprise more thantwo stages, each such stage developing a larger inlet opening than theprior one when the prior one is detached therefrom and discarded. Itwill further be readily seen that the evacuating device 2011 of FIG. 5need not necessarily be expendable since the portions 21b, 22b can bereattached to each other as often as desired.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A one piece two-stage evacuating device, particularly a disposabledevice for withdrawing liquid and solid matter from the mouth of adent-a1 patient, comprising an elongated substantially tubular memberconsisting of a single piece of deformable synthetic plastic materialincluding a tubular section having a first end portion arranged to beconnected to a suction generating device and a second end portion; ahollow section having a first end portion adjacent to the second endportion of said tubular section and a substantially cup-shaped secondend portion; and a frangible connection portion, comprising an annularportion having at least one circumferential groove intermediate saidsections, for integrally but readily detachably connecting said sectionswith each other so that, on detachment of said second section, thesecond end portion of said tubular section develops a relatively largeopening for entry of solid particulate matter, said hollow sectionhaving at least one relatively small inlet for drawing liquid matterinto said tubular section when said sections are connected with eachother.

2. A one-piece evacuating device, particularly a disposable device forwithdrawing liquid and solid matter from the mouth of a dental patient,comprising an elongated substantially tubular member consisting of asingle piece of deformable synthetic plastic material including atubular section having a first end portion arranged to be connected to asuction generating device and a second end portion; a hollow sectionhaving a first end portion adjacent to the second end portion of saidtubular section and a substantially cup-shaped second end portion; and afrangible connecting portion comprising a weakened annular wall locatedintermediate said sections for integrally but re-adily detachablyconnecting said sections with each other so that, on detachment of saidsecond section, the second end portion of said tubular section developsa relatively large opening for entry of solid particulate matter, saidhollow section having at least one relatively small inlet for drawingliquid matter into said tubular section when said sections are connectedwith each other.

3. As an novel article of manufacture, an elongated substantiallycylindrical evacuating member for solid and liquid matter, including atubular end portion, a cup- -shaped end portion spaced from said tubularend portion and being provided with a substantially transverse end walland a plurality of annularly arranged inlet openings, and anintermediate tubular portion comprising a circumferential groove forintegrally but readily detachably connecting said end portions with eachother, said elongated member tapering in the direction of said end wall.

4. A novel article of manufacture as set forth in claim 3, wherein saidinlet openings include channels extending substantially axially from theperiphery of said end wall along the outer surface of said cup-shapedend portion and into the interior of said tubular member.

5. A two-stage evacuating device, particularly a disposable device forwithdrawing liquid and solid matter from the mouth of a dental patient,comprising an elongated tubular member consisting of deformablesynthetic plastic material and including a first elongated sectionhaving an outlet portion and an inlet portion spaced from said outletportion, said outlet portion being adapted to be connected to a suctiongenerating device; a second section having a liquid-admitting inletportion and an outlet portion spaced from said last named inlet portion;and a frangible connecting portion intermediate said sections 4integrally but readily detachably connecting said outlet portion of saidsecond section with said first named inlet portion so that on detachmentof said second section said first named inlet portion develops a largeopening for admission of solid particulate matter, the walls of saidfirst named inlet portion which define said opening being deformable soas not to injure mouth tissue in contact therewith, the inlet portion ofsaid second section comprising a substantially cup-shaped body providedwith a plurality of apertures angularly spaced from each other foradmission of liquid into said tubular member when said sections areconnected with each other the spacing between said aperture being suchthat at least one of said apertures will remain out of contact with thetissue in the interior of the mouth when suction through the others ofsaid apertures is prevented by closure thereof with mouth tissue,whereby injury to such tissue will be prevented.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,557,744 10/1925 Tobriner 32-331,986,751 1/1935 Robinson 32-33 2,574,135 11/1951 Ward 32-33 2,595,6665/1952 Hutson 32-33 2,614,563 10/1952 Devine 128-276 2,972,991 2/1961Burke 128-218 3,124,879 3/1964 Van 'Lanigan 32-33 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,3443/1913 Great Britain.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner. J. W. HINEY, Assistant Examiner.

1. A ONE PIECE TWO-STAGE EVACUATING DEVICE, PARTICULARLY A DISPOSABLEDEVICE FOR WITHDRAWING LIQUID AND SOLID MATTER FROM THE MOUTH OF ADENTAL PATIENT, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED SUBSTANTIALLY TUBULAR MEMBERCONSISTING OF A SINGLE PIECE OF DEFORMABLE SYNTHETIC PLASTIC MATERIALINCLUDING A TUBULAR SECTION HAVING A FIRST END PORTION ARRANGED TO BECONNECTED TO A SUCTION GENERATING DEVICE AND A SECOND END PORTION; AHOLLOW SECTION HAVING A FIRST END PORTION ADJACENT TO THE SECOND ENDPORTION OF SAID TUBULAR SECTION AND A SUBSTANTIALLY CUP-SHAPED SECONDEND PORTION; AND A FRANGIBLE CONNECTION PORTION, COMPRISING AN ANNULARPORTION HAVING AT LEAST ONE CIRCUMFERENTIAL GROOVE INTERMEDIATE SAIDSECTIONS, FOR INTEGRALLY BUT READILY DETACHABLY CONNECTING SAID SECTIONSWITH EACH OTHER SO THAT, ON DETACHMENT OF SAID SECOND SECTION, THESECOND END PORTION OF SAID TUBULAR SECTION DEVELOPS A RELATIVELY LARGEOPENING FOR ENTRY OF SOLID PARTICULATE MATTER, SAID HOLLOW SECTIONHAVING AT LEAST ONE RELATIVELY SMALL INLET FOR DRAWING LIQUID MATTERINTO SAID TUBULAR SECTION WHEN SAID SECTIONS ARE CONNECTED WITH EACHOTHER.